The thought of a dentist’s chair can make some quiver, and although it’s not the most glamorous of jobs, dentists are vital to health.

According to a recent Board of Trustees meeting, the University of Illinois at Chicago will need $50 million over the next five years to continue providing its current level of service and programming in dentistry and medicine.

About $10 million would be used for dentistry and $40 million for medicine, said Annette Paciga, associate dean for administration at UIC.

“We’ve experienced significant budget cuts over the past few years,” Paciga said. “It’s extremely difficult for us to continue providing services without state funding.”

In order to continue service to students, other activities directly unrelated to their education will be sacrificed.

“We’re evaluating programs and looking at what we can cut,” Paciga said.

UIC College of Dentistry is the largest provider of dental services in the state for patients covered by public aid. However, it will be closing one of its clinics March 1.

Education is the university’s main focus, Paciga said.

“The demand for dental care has increased, and our funding has not,” she said.

Paciga also said dental education is very expensive. Some other possible options for cutting the school’s expenses are reducing enrollment and increasing tuition.

“There’s a limit to how much you can increase tuition for students,” Paciga said. “We’re one of the most expensive public schools in the country.”

One problem with decreasing enrollment for the College of Dentistry at UIC would be its influence on the amount of dentists in Illinois, she said.

No decision has been made yet concerning enrollment, she added.

An encroaching issue is that one-third of dentists are looking to retire in the next 10 years, said Kenneth Schmidt, Board of Trustees member.

“There are only two dental schools in the state – SIU and UIC,” said Dr. Caswell Evans, associate dean at UIC College of Dentistry.

The UIC College of Dentistry has about 266 dental students in the program as well as 85 dentist residents who are licensed but specializing in a particular area, Evans said.

“We’re not putting out enough dentists on our own,” he said. “We’re filling our needs with foreign medical students. They spend two years at UIC and practice in Illinois.”

Surbhi Garg, junior in LAS in pre-dental education, said she knows of the increasing need for dentists, though it was not the original reason for her deciding to go into the profession.

“I chose to be a dentist because I would be helping people and the convenience of the hours,” Garg said.

UIC is her top choice for dental school, and she would like to eventually practice in her hometown of Chicago when she gets certified.

“I would like to do some community service work,” Garg said. “I would like to go to a college where they help people who are underprivileged, especially in urban areas.”

UIC offers a program like this for seniors where they work in a community-based clinic for 60 days. This program will be expanded to 120 days in the future, Evans said.

“Dental care is something that a lot of people don’t give importance,” Garg said. “It’s something that can affect the quality of your life.”